Autoblog

The "International Engine of the Year Award" is a big deal as far as bragging rights go in this industry. Think of it like the Academy Awards for engines. However, instead of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voting, you have 62 renowned motoring journalists, from 30 countries, casting ballots for their favorite fossil fuel burner.

Last year's winner (pictured above) was BMW's twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6. This year's list of nominees includes Nissan's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 (found in the Nissan GT-R), Mitsubishi' 2.0-liter twin-turbo I4 (Mitsubishi EVO X), Audi's 5.2-liter V10 (Audi S8), Chevrolet's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 (Corvette ZR1), and BMW's 4.0-liter V8 (BMW M3). Let's sit back and listen to the orchestra for a bit... the winners don't get announced until May 7, at Engine Expo 2008, in Stuttgart, Germany.

Click above to view video after the jump

If you haven't seen BMW's M3 "Revolution" ad, then you need to do that right now. For those of you who have seen it, no doubt you were wondering how they created such stunning video without the use of CGI. Fortunately, additional cameras were on hand to film some 'behind the scenes' footage, as well as interviews with those responsible for capturing the innermost workings of the BMW M3 V8. A total of six engines were disassembled for the making of the commercial, and miniature HD cameras shooting at 4,000 frames per second were used to ensure that the internal combustion could be seen in high resolution and slow motion. The video can be seen after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via zercustoms.com]

Click above for high-res gallery of the HAMANN-tuned BMW M3 Coupe

There's no denying that the new BMW E92 M3 is a superlative automobile, but that doesn't mean experienced tuning houses like HAMANN can't work their magic and make the best even more best. HAMANN has just introduced its tuning package for the new E92 M3 Coupe and Convertible, which includes two stages of performance tune, upgrades for the suspension and brakes and aerodynamic tweaks. The first stage of tuning bumps power from the car's 4.0L V8 by 20 horsepower and 18 pound-feet of torque, while the second stage called the Sportkit HM/M +35 juices the motor by up to 35 hp and 35 pound-feet of torque. The M3 is then lowered by up to 40 mm on a new adjustable coil-over suspension and an upgraded brake system with larger rotors and front six- and rear four-piston calipers are added. The forged, black-laquered rims shown on the vehicle above are called EDITION RACE and weigh less than the stock wheels, though HAMANN offers many aftermarket wheels from which to choose. Finally, the new M3 is set off with a new front spoiler, side skirts, rear apron and roof spoiler that all work together to actually reduce lift as well as look pretty. The interior, of course, has also been spruced up with aluminum and leather. At the end of the day, HAMANN has made an M3 that's better than it was before, so apparently there is some wiggle room to make the best even more better. (NOTE: grammer mistakes intended)

Check out a full gallery of high-res images showing the HAMANN E92 M3 in motion below in our gallery, and read the official press release after the jump.


[Source: HAMANN]

Click above to view the BMW M3 ad.

Ever since Industrial Light and Magic dropped Jurassic Park onto the scene, it's rare to see a movie, TV show or advertisement that doesn't involve some form of CGI. It's amazing what can be done by a handful of programmers and a case of RedBull, but something gets lost in translation when computerized effects are used in place of their analog forbearers. The advertising firm IdeaCity recognized this and melded high-tech wizardry with old-school filmmaking to create an absolutely beautiful ad for BMW's new M3.

The edifice for the spot began with a tour of BMW's M facility in Munich, where the IdeaCity crew studied the inner workings of the M3's 4.0-liter V8. They had three complete engines shipped out to Belgium, where manifolds were cut, cylinders were shaved and lighting holes were drilled to mount special cameras, lenses and lights. After two weeks of intensive study and preparation, the team took another four, 20-hour days to film what happens inside the 420 hp mill during a single revolution. The completed spot was filmed at 10,000 frames-per-second and doesn't utilize any form of computer-generated effects. We've already watched it a half a dozen times and we think you'll do the same. Check it after the jump.

Of all the things that have hampered performance over the last two decades, vehicle weight is at the top of the list. Automakers have responded by putting more power under the hood to make up for the extra pounds, and BMW is as guilty as the rest – particularly with its M cars. The first (E30) M3 came packing a 2.3-liter four-pot and was able to put out an astonishing (at the time) 212 197 hp. When the E36 came along a few years later, the cylinder count increased by two and stayed that way through the E46 generation until today, where the new E92 M3 is motivated by a 4.0-liter V8 outputting more than double of the original, but also weighing considerably more.

So what's the next step? BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer is at least aware of this fact and mentioned to Auto Motor und Sport that he'd like to see the next batch of M cars lose a few cylinders, while simultaneously dropping the pounds. He points to the twin-turbocharged inline-six in the 135i, 335i and 535i as a good indication of what the future might hold, particularly in the case of the M-badged variants that would make more use of forced induction rather than upgraded displacement and higher cylinder counts (not that they could get much higher). We can only dream, but with emissions standards increasing across the globe, it's the next logical evolution of the performance breed.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via TTAC]

UPDATE: 3-24-08 -- This was left on the original M3 forum thread by Ken, the nearly-defrauded winner of the eBay auction: "Sorry its taken so long to post a update. The site is very slow (understandably). This morning, BMW of Lincoln has agreed to sell me the car at a price of 60K, with certain conditions. I'll be going over the conditions with the dealership tommorow, and I hope to have everything finalized by tommorow afternoon." You can read the rest of his comment here. It's pretty cool what the Internet can do...

Apparently all is not kosher in corn country. BMW of Lincoln, Nebraska posted an auction on eBay for a brand new M3 Sedan for $60,000. Perhaps they were hoping for the kind of eBay madness that would push the price to six figures (something other dealers are doing right on the show floor). If that's what they were after, well, they didn't get it. The car was won by a gentleman in California for the listed price: $60,000.

The problem is that the dealer doesn't want to give him the car. Not long after the auction ended, the winning bidder got a call from BMW of Nebraska telling him the auction was "a mistake," and that he couldn't have the car. In spite of the fact that the dealership changed the Buy It Now price twice -- and so was paying attention to the auction -- and eBay rules that make it clear that if someone wins the auction then you must complete the transaction, the buyer is still trying to get someone to give him the car he won at the winning bid price. Follow the link for the full story, and to you, Dooma350, good luck. Thanks for the tip, Ken!

[Source: M3post.com]

Click above for more high-res pics of the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe

We've been getting reports from all over that the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe has begun to arrive in U.S. dealerships. Dealers, however, have also begun taking advantage of the high interest in these Bavarian über coupes by marking up the price. Since we couldn't just take everyone's word for the extreme mark ups, we had to wait until someone surfaced with proof, which came today. Dragtimes.com is hosting an image of a brand spanking new M3 sitting in an unidentified California dealer at Century West BMW in North Hollywood with a window sticker displaying the car's $70,720 MSRP plus a $30,000 mark up. The extra monies demanded by the dealer is labeled as a "Dealer Market Adjustment" on the window sticker, which makes it seem like a special options package with heated seats and an extra cup holder. Rather, it's the reality that this dealer and many others know that someone out there will pay that much for a new 2008 BMW M3 Coupe. But as good a sports car as it the new M3 undoubtedly is, would you pay over $100,000 for it? Thanks for the tip, FikseGTS!

Gallery: 2008 BMW M3

[Source: Dragtimes]

Click the above photo for more shots of the M3 Convertible

BMW was highlighting its green credentials today, so it gave no more than a mention to the M3 Cabriolet -- but that doesn't mean the M3 went unloved. The impossibly blue convertible sat just around the corner from the Vision Hybrid in the spotlight, brooding, but with plenty of press-type friends taking pictures and asking questions. Have a look at the live shots in the gallery below to see why.

Britain's Autocar hit the track with the BMW M3, Nissan GT-R, and Porsche 911 GT3 to see which of the musclebound sports cars could best its immediate competition, and they captured the three-way face-off on video. There's been plenty of GT-R vs. Porsche chatter since the Nissan's launch, but how would Bimmer's latest juggernaut fare against a tag-team of the GT-R and Zuffenhausen's latest road carver? We're not going to spoil it for you. Follow the jump to see if Godzilla devours Germany or if Nissan's monster is repelled by the defensive outposts in Munich or Stuttgart.




[Source: YouTube]

Click the image above to view the M3 Convertible in action

BMW's new M3 Convertible was supposed to be unveiled in March, but several leaked photos led to a flood of official photos and information straight from BMW. Now we are getting video footage as well, with a good mix of driving and detail shots along with the wonderful sound of that 420 horsepower V8. Enough talking - the video is after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]